1. Technical Field
This invention relates to foot supports and braces that are used on a patient's foot for immobilization and support after injury. More specifically this invention is directed to toe protection devices that are used in conjunction with these supports to protect the exposed toes extending from the foot enclosure.
2. Description of Prior Art
A number of prior art devices have been developed in an attempt to address the problem of exposed toes evident with the use of the typical foot cast or other fabric foot ankle support structures. Heretofore such devices have utilized protection bars that encircle around the toes and are secured to the cast, see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,554,872 which has a horizontally disposed rigid band that extends along opposite sides of the foot and wraps around in spaced relation to the patient's toes.
Alternately, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,773,041 a toe guard is described for a walking cast that extends around the toe utilizing a horizontal band that extends from a central support stem engaged under the cast.
A toe protection sock is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 3,487,830 in which a fabric cap member is fitted over the ends of the exposed toes and cast. This device is held in place by a pair of restraining straps that extend around the outer surface of the cast.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,138 a toe protection and foot support for an orthopedic cast is disclosed having an elongated support tongue extending from under the patient's foot with a toe dome shaped toe cover inter-engaged on a mounting rim extending around the forward end of the support.